When People come against Us!
Am Service November 15th 2009
Daniel 6:1-23
Introduction
Jim Cymbala preaches at a church in the slums of New York. Pastor Jim also makes frequent visits to Louisiana to preach at Angola. He tells the following story: It was Easter Sunday and I was so tired at the end of the day that I just went to the edge of the platform, pulled down my tie and sat down and draped my feet over the edge.
It was a wonderful service with many people coming forward. The counselors were talking with these people. As I was sitting there I looked up the middle aisle, and there in about the third row was a man who looked about fifty, messy, filthy. He looked up at me rather sheepishly, as if saying, “Could I talk to you?” We have homeless people coming in all the time, asking for money or whatever. So as I sat there, I said to myself, though I am ashamed of it, “What a way to end a Sunday. I’ve had such a good time, preaching and ministering, and here’s a fellow probably wanting some money for more wine.” He walked up.
When he got within about five feet of me, I smelled a horrible smell like I’d never smelled in my life. It was so awful that when he got close, I would inhale by looking away, and then I’d talk to him, and then look away to inhale, because I couldn’t inhale facing him.
I asked him, “What’s your name?” “David.” “How long have you been on the street?” “Six years.” “How old are you?” “Thirty-two.” He looked fifty- hair matted; front teeth missing; wino; eyes slightly glazed. “Where did you sleep last night, David?” “Abandoned truck.”
Pastor Jim said, “I keep in my back pocket a money clip that also holds some credit cards. I fumbled to pick one out thinking; I’ll give him some money. I won’t even get a volunteer. They are all busy talking with others. Usually we don’t give money to people. We take them to get something to eat. I took the money out.
David pushed his finger in front of me. He said, “I don’t want your money. I want this Jesus, the One you were talking about, because I’m not going to make it. I’m going to die on the street.” I completely forgot about David, and I started to weep for myself. I was going to give a couple of dollars to someone God had sent to me. David just stood there. He didn’t know what was happening. I pleaded with God, “God, forgive me! Forgive me! Please forgive me. I am so sorry to represent You this way. I’m so sorry. Here I am with my message and my points, and You send somebody and I am not ready for it. Oh, God!”
He fell against my chest as I was sitting there. He fell against my white shirt and tie, and I put my arms around him, and there we wept on each other. The smell of His person became a beautiful aroma. Here is what I thought the Lord made real to me: If you don’t love this smell, I can’t use you, because this is why I called you where you are. This is what you are about. You are about this smell. Christ changed David’s life.
A year later David got up and talked about his conversion to Christ. The minute he took the mic and began to speak, I said, “The man is a preacher.” This past Easter we ordained David. He is an associate minister of a church over in New Jersey. And I was so close to saying, “Here, take this; I’m a busy preacher.” We can get so full of ourselves.
People will fail you, preachers will fail you, family will fail you, friends will fail you, and you will fail someone. Today I want us to learn from the life of Daniel to close out this series on “Faith under fire”, how people can attempt to affect our faith, and our walk with Jesus.
Read Scriptures: Daniel 6:1-23
I. My faith will cause some to try to find and point out my faults
Vs. 4 “At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.”
These guys were so jealous of Daniel and his success, that they were really looking hard to try to find his faults and make sure that they point them out, basically so they could get him fired.
Has that ever happened to you out on a job of some sort, someone was so jealous of your promotion or maybe you hired in making more money than someone who had been there for years, and what do they do, they watch you, they will point out all of your mistakes so that the boss will either demote you, or fire you because of jealousy.
The same often happens in our Christian lives, once we are truly born again, and our lives take a turn for the better, we are trying to do the right things, we are trying to live the right way, we are trying to clean up our language, rest assured there will be some who you will be an offense to.
You maybe an offense to your family, they will say things like “who do they think they are, what now they are better than us.” You may be an offense like Daniel out on the job, when you walk away from a dirty joke or some juicy gossip, then they will do all they can to try to find and point out your faults.
Why? Because by your actions, living a Holy life, you will bring conviction on those who are not saved, or on so called Christians who are not concerned with living a Holy life.
II. My faith will even cause those closest to me to turn against me.
Vs. 6-7 “So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: "O King Darius, live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions' den.”
These were people that Daniel worked with, people he was around probably six days a week.
When I worked out in the work force, I would spend more of my days with those I worked with or rode with to work, than I did with my own family. You ride for at least an hour to work, work at least a ten our day, ride at least an hour back, you spend a couple of hours eating supper may be talking a little, taking a bath, the go to bed and start over the next day.
These people who didn’t just want Daniel fired, they wanted him killed, and not just executed, but brutally tortured and eaten up by lions. They really hated him.
Sometimes because of our faith success, it could cause people that I am close to, to turn on me, and really become an enemy to me. It all stems from jealousy. Because maybe they are not experiencing the same success that I am. Maybe they are jealous of the call that God has placed on my life, so they set out to get me to fall or to quit.
III. Even when people come against me, my relationship with God is still more important that any human relationship.
Vs. 10-11 “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.”
Notice what Daniel did, once he heard about the decree, he didn’t allow what others were saying to keep him from his relationship with the One that mattered the most.
We have got to get to the point in our Christian lives, that it doesn’t matter what so and so thinks or says about me, none of that will keep me from serving, or from living out my faith.
We have got to set it in our minds that people will fail us, people will offend us, preachers fail, deacons fail, Sunday school teachers fail, fellow believers fail, the world will fail us, but that will not stop me from worshipping my God on the Lord’s day, it will not stop me from telling a lost and dying world that “Jesus Saves”.
Even when people fail me or come against me and attack my faith, I cannot and I will not allow that failure or attack to keep me from my God.
Daniel’s consequences for living out his faith were much greater than ours, so often we are afraid to get out feelings hurt, listen Daniel was facing a den of hungry man eating lions, and he continued to do what his custom was to pray three times a day. He proved that his relationship with God was far more important to him, even if it cost him is life.
IV. I must understand that although people will come against me and fail me, God never will.
Vs. 16-23 “So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den. The king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!" A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel's situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep. At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions' den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?" Daniel answered, "O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king." The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.”
Daniel was faithful in his devotion of God, and God once again showed up miraculously for Daniel.
In verse 17 “A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel's situation might not be changed.”
So that “Daniel’s situation might not change”, God can change situations that people deem unchangeable.
Even if the worst thing happens and Daniel is consumed by these lions, he still wins. Because God will never fail you, he will always keep his word. We have a promise of an eternal home in heaven to all who will place there faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone, even if people fail us or hurt us, that will never change our standing with God.
Conclusion
Our faith is absolutely under fire, if you remember the first part of this series, our faith is under fire from compromise, our faith is under fire by how we handle adversity in our lives, our faith is under fire when life gets hot and serious trials really push us in our faith, our faith us under fire when our own pride gets in the way of God giving us His best, our faith is under fire when the hand writing is on the wall, when you know for certain that life is about to throw you a curve, it maybe a diagnosis from a doctor or a spouse who dies, or walks out on you, when the writing is on the wall, and today our faith is under fire from people who often jealous of our faith, or of our success, and they come against us.
We must remember that people will fail us, but God never will. Do you trust Him?
